


Olive Branches

by AnonymousArchive



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Apologies, Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Confessions, Cute, Fluff, Forgiveness, Future Fic, Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Letters, Light-Hearted, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Near Future, Not Beta Read, Oikawa Tooru-centric, Olive Branch, Pining, Pining Oikawa Tooru, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Sweet, Third Year Kageyama Tobio, University Student Oikawa Tooru, Walking, Walking Home, oikage, valentines day, walks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22754596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousArchive/pseuds/AnonymousArchive
Summary: “We took something barely living and loved it to life.” — L.E. BowmanORFor Valentine’s day, Oikawa decides it’s time to put their past behind them for good and finally apologize to Kageyama. Not without embarrassing himself first, of course.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 6
Kudos: 209





	Olive Branches

**Author's Note:**

> Belated Happy Valentine's Day!

Oikawa didn’t bring flowers.

Not roses with long thorny stems, nor sunflowers with large vibrant petals. Not a fluffy teddy bear with a cute little bowtie, nor chocolates enclosed in a heart-shaped box, neatly packed up with a red ribbon. He didn’t have any of the sweet little gifts most people bought on Valentine’s day, didn’t see reason to get them even as he passed stores lined up with gaping signs yelling “SALE” to his face.

Instead, he had an apology.

It was stupid, honestly. Had someone told him that one day, he would be returning to the familiar streets of Miyagi from university to ask for his Tobio-chan’s forgiveness and possibly start something between them that wasn’t rivalry, he would have laughed in their face. Oikawa, apologizing to his genius setter kouhai? Oikawa, ignoring his worthless pride for once? Oikawa, actually _liking_ him enough to go through these lengths? The very idea of him saying the word “sorry” to Kageyama was impossibly funny, like a joke.

But now, after years of silence, distance, reflection, and growth, he was _here_.

Of course, he still held onto parts of his usually massive pride, so this task wasn’t an easy one. Knowing that he’d immediately back out once he saw the blue-eyed boy in person, he deemed it fit to say everything in writing instead. However, it took quite a while to swallow down his ego enough to compose a proper apology letter. A lot of dramatic internal monologues and comments from Iwa-chan later (“It’s about time, Shittykawa!”), the words were eventually forced out of his body and converted into sloppy handwriting on a ripped notebook page.

All that was left was giving the damn thing. And _oh_ , it was difficult. 

It’s taking all of his willpower to keep his embarrassment at bay and not turn back around. It didn’t help that it was so easy to just abandon this project altogether. 

For starters, there was no guarantee that everything would even go according to plan. For all he could know, Kageyama could have changed with time too. He could have gotten more charming and less awkward, enough to win himself a date this Valentine’s. Oikawa had no means to clarify that information or check on the younger setter’s freedom and availability, too stubborn to save his contact information back in middle school and too ashamed to try asking anyone for it now, so it was highly probable that he’d end up empty handed the moment he arrives. 

Furthermore, getting humiliated and rejected oddly felt more possible than getting forgiven. After all the years of torment and ignorance he’d given Kageyama, all rooting from his extreme levels of jealousy and insecurity, what reason did he have to expect things to run smoothly? What made him worthy of forgiveness, of friendship, of maybe something mo—

And there he was. In his stupid Karasuno uniform, with his stupid piercing gaze and stupid signature frown, walking out the school gates and towards his direction.

Oikawa can’t help the inkling of a fond smile from forming on his face.

_Shit._

Maybe this was a mistake, after all. 

Was it too late to turn around now? Maybe he could hide behind a bush until Kageyama walked past him. Or maybe he should just start sprinting away, despite how idiotic it looked. Besides, it doesn’t seem like he’s been caught yet anywa—

“Oikawa-san?”

_Fuck._

“Hey! Tobio-chan!” he replied, the loud volume of his voice causing them both to jump in surprise. 

For someone who’s normally so smooth and easygoing with his words, Oikawa was fumbling and stumbling alright.

Oblivious to his senpai’s nerves, Kageyama spoke, rubbing his nape, “What, uh… What are you doing here?”

In moments like this, he was glad for Tobio’s dense nature.

Recovering immediately, the older setter smirked, “Just came by to visit my kouhai on this lovely day. Do I really need a reason?”

“Knowing you, yes. Did you come by to gloat?”

“So _mean,_ Tobio-chan!” he whined, feigning mock offense as he placed his free hand over his heart. “You still don’t know how to mince your words, huh?”

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want, Oikawa-san?”

He sighed. Guess small talk wasn’t a thing the boy knew about.

“I actually came by to greet you,” he remarked solemnly, brown-eyed gaze locked intensely onto blue, watching as they widened in surprise. “Happy Valentine’s day.”

“Oh… Um, thank you?”

Kageyama looked so confused. It made him want to laugh.

Instead, he bit his lip. “Sure. Do you have a date to catch?”

The younger boy shook his head no.

“Ah, of course.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothing! Nothing. I’m just being friendly, Tobio-chan. You’ve heard of casual chitchat, right? I promise, there’s no malice here.”

Kageyama looked wary to reply, as if on guard for an upcoming insult (because it was definitely likely for Oikawa to have one). When finally realizing that the older setter had none, he mumbled in reply, “How about you, Oikawa-san?”

“Hmm? What was that?”

He cleared his throat. “Do you have a date?”

“Oh! No, I don’t. Not this year, anyway. I didn’t really think of _looking_ for one, although I know I have a handful of fans at my disposal. It’s just… I didn’t have the time to with my university studies and sports and stuff. Besides, I don’t really want to take them out without forming a connection first, you know? But I do appreciate their endless support, of course,” he rambled, emphasizing his story with gestures, internally cursing himself for being such a blabbermouth.

“Ah, okay,” came the short reply that was so characteristically Tobio.

And then there was silence. Uncomfortable and heavy in the air.

Oikawa kept his eyes glued onto him, his folded letter now slightly wrinkled from his nervous grip. He doesn’t really know what he was waiting for, should have just given the letter and left it at that, crawling back to his home before returning to university and forgetting this ever happened. But there they were now, still near goddamn Karasuno, standing around awkwardly like a bunch of sitting ducks.

Kageyama then opens his mouth, maybe to prompt his senpai to speak or maybe to end this encounter altogether. Oikawa knew he couldn’t have the latter, couldn’t let him walk away just like that, and so, in a rush to save this conversation, he shoved his letter forward.

“I, uh… I—” 

He _really_ had to take a page out of Kageyama’s book now and become _so embarrassingly awkward,_ huh?

“What—”

“I-It’s a letter! I wrote you… I wrote you one,” he said, looking anywhere but at the younger boy’s eyes as he felt his cheeks heat up, arm dramatically outstretched in front of him. “Happy… Happy Valentine’s again, I guess? Um…”

A brief pause.

“Oh.”

He really wanted to bury himself in a hole six feet underground now. This wasn’t like Oikawa at all!

He felt the letter get plucked out of his hand gently, the soft rustle amplified in the quiet of their surroundings. Despite the tension of the moment, he couldn’t help himself from risking a peek at his kouhai, wanting so badly to know what reaction he wore. Was he mortified? Was he angry? Was he just as embarrassed as Oikawa felt?

He’s met with the sight of a blushing Tobio-chan.

_Fuuuck._

“Let’s walk, yeah?” he offered immediately, turning his back and taking one step ahead to hide his probably tomato-red face. “Standing around your school isn’t exactly the kind of activity I was hoping for on such a romantic day.”

“O-Okay.”

The younger boy eventually began to move forward, and Oikawa found it easy to fall into step right next to him. He pocketed his now empty but still sweaty palms in his jeans, pretending to admire the not-so-special streets they currently traversed. He expected it to be less empty, filled with more students pouring out and heading home from the school day. However, Kageyama most likely had come from volleyball practice, so it was only them, only their footsteps echoing in the breeze.

“Where’s the rest of your team, Tobio-chan?” he asked, attempting another go at conversation. “Shouldn’t they be walking home now, too?”

“They all left practice slightly earlier today. I think they had some Valentine’s plans. With family, friends, or dates, I’m not sure. I didn’t ask.”

“And you decided to stay to keep practicing anyway, despite being alone?”

“Yes.”

“Your coach was okay with this?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

“What?” the younger setter asked defensively. “I’m the one who locks up the court daily, anyway. They trust me enough.”

“What a volleyball nerd,” Oikawa joked and smiled teasingly as he caught the glare sent his way.

“As if you’re not one.”

“I mean, I definitely wouldn’t _choose_ to spend my Valentine playing volleyball alone. It’s like you’re married to the sport!”

The boy only scoffed at that remark, giving no retort in reply as if admitting that he was, in fact, married to volleyball. The very thought caused Oikawa to laugh.

He received another piercing glare from blue eyes. In response, he gave another teasing smile, adding in a peace sign when he felt like it.

After another moment of silence, one that was less painful and more pleasing to be in, Kageyama then spoke up, “Don’t you have classes today, by the way, Oikawa-san?”

“I do, but college schedules aren’t as fixed as high school.”

Curious as ever, he piped, “What does that mean?”

“It means that I could have hours and hours of classes one day, my schedule filled up to the brim, but also have only one or two classes the next day. Fridays just happened to be mostly empty for me, which means I have time to do whatever I want.”

“And you decided that coming here is what you want?”

He jumped in surprise at the bluntness of Kageyama Tobio before glancing towards him and watching that ever-so-baffled expression scrunch up his face in an ever-so-adorable way.

He could’ve been on a romantic date right now, out in a cute café or fancy restaurant, enjoying dishes with some lovely company. He could have been catering to his fans as they hoarded around him and bombarded him with gifts, offering them the chance for selfie pictures and video greetings. He could’ve been with his friends, his family, or literally anybody else in Japan, spending a day dedicated to love in their presence.

Yet, out of all possibilities, this was what he chose. _This._

He doesn’t regret it.

“Yes,” came Oikawa’s honest reply, the single word spoken so softly and warmly that Kageyama’s clueless look seemed to mix with surprise.

“But why—”

He cut him off, gesturing towards the letter in his kouhai’s hand, “All answers are on the paper, Tobio-chan.”

He watched as Kageyama’s gaze dropped onto the paper, watched as his expression morphed from confusion to anticipation mixed in with caution. Calloused fingers kept their touch light on the page, opening its folds so delicately as if the letter would disappear or break if he applies a little more force. Midnight blue eyes flit from the scribbled handwriting to Oikawa’s face, holding a sparkle within them that the older setter had never seen before.

“Can I?”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead,” he answered immediately. “Read it.”

“Isn’t it weird to read it in front of you?” he asked. “I mean, letters are supposed to be read in private, right?”

“True. But I… I do want to know your response. Like, before I head back to uni. So yeah, it’s fine. Go read.”

With a nod, the younger boy returned his attention to the writing, finally reading everything Oikawa wanted to say but couldn’t quite verbalize, allowing the silence to fill the space between them.  
  


* * *

  
Kageyama had already stopped walking, standing still in front of what might be his house. However, he wasn’t quite finished with Oikawa’s letter, eyes still glazing over each written line, his face betraying not a single emotion for the other to see.

It was painful, really. This whole experience was.

Oikawa had already done so much with his idle time, wasting it on the simplest of random activities he could do. He had already admired the colorful flowers that lined the houses they had previously passed, had already watched the formations of the clouds in the vast expanse of the sky, had already taken a photo of the sun setting in the distant horizon beyond them with his phone. But still, after all that silent walking, Kageyama wasn’t finished. And he didn’t want to leave without the boy’s reply.

So yeah, he was gonna stand here and suffer. No big deal.

It would be less torture if he could just gauge what Kageyama was thinking. There were, after all, a lot of embarrassing revelations written within that page.

He doesn’t even remember exactly what he’d put, but he knows about it being achingly cheesy. Of course, it’ll start with a lot of whining and teasing, maybe, because that’s how he talked to Tobio on a regular day, before then diverting from the normal and getting down to the lengthy apology and then the extremely cringy part where he divulges all of his deep, previously untouched feelings, even going as far as begging for a second cha—

He was tempted to yank his hair out now. _Please, God, let it end!_

“Oikawa-san?”

“Oh, Tobio! You’re done?” he replied, scratching awkwardly at his head, a small sheepish smile on his face.

“Y-Yes, yeah.”

“Cool, cool, cool.”

Another awkward pause. 

He wondered how many of those he’d had today, if they were even still at a normal amount.

“Was this a prank?” Kageyama eventually spoke, the caution from earlier more evident in his voice and expression.

Oikawa couldn’t help the offense from leaking out of his system. “Seriously, Tobio? I pour out my heart in that stupid paper and the first thing you think of is my feelings being a prank?”

“I—” he tried to butt in, but the older setter didn’t let him.

“I knew this was dumb, that this wouldn’t work, that so much had gone wrong already for this to work, but I still did it anyway! I still went out of my way to come here, find you, and try to mend this barely-existing relationship. Tch, what the hell was I thinking?”

“Oikawa—”

“I mean, it’s funny. Oikawa-san apologizing to Tobio-chan? Hah! What a concept. But hell, here I am. Stupidly standing in front of your house, believing that there was something to save here. Why was I even _trying_ when I’m clearly the one who broke it all to begin with? If not for my stupid, stupid insecure self and my stupid, stupid worthless pride from middle school – heck, even from high school – then maybe we wouldn’t even need to be here. Maybe we’d be friends, and I wouldn’t have to embarrass myself this much in just trying to ask you out.”

“Oikawa-san, please listen—”

“And besides, you–you’re clearly okay and well and fine where you are now, right? You have an annoyingly strong team, some probably great friends and company, so you’re likely happy and better off without me coming back, right? Maybe you’ve even moved past that time of your life, which _maybe_ I _should_ be doing too. Not... not this! Not begging! Not humiliating myself to you, for you!”

Kageyama had given up trying to stop him. He simply listened now, his scowl plastered on his face like a shield.

“But I can’t quite move past it, Tobio. I can’t! Because I’ll admit this, I’m stupid, maybe even more than you. Stupid enough to believe that I can fix this. That _we_ can fix it. It’s ruined to degrees beyond saving, but maybe we can... we can, I don’t know, restart? Try again? Pretend that I was never an ass to you? I don’t… I don’t know.”

Oikawa was breathing heavily now, panting from his outburst, all the built-up tension drained from his body. In its stead, it left emotional exhaustion, the kind that made him want to sleep for a very long time, maybe also hide from the sharp gaze of the boy he’d spilled his heart to. He doesn’t think he could look him in the eye now without shaking or blushing or freaking out.

It was too late to back out, however. He’d already said too much, both with his letter and his voice.

And so, with a deep breath, he continued, voice now quiet and shy as opposed to his loud rambling a moment ago, “I _do_ know that I wanna… save it. I, uh… really wanna try. And maybe it’ll take time, but—”

He stops abruptly, attention immediately stolen by the gentlest of touches on his wrist and the rarest sight he’d ever seen in his life – Tobio-chan smiling.

It was small, just a tiny little lift of one corner of his mouth, but it was real and genuine, shining brightly in the moonlight that had now graced them with its presence.

It stole his breath away. Tobio stole his breath away.

“Oikawa-san, it’s okay. I… I want to try, too.” He let go of his wrist, yet the feeling lingered on his skin. “Thank you for the letter. I’m sorry I thought it was a prank.”

He blinked, still stunned, dumbfounded as ever by the short response.

“That’s _all_ you have to say to that, Tobio-chan?!”

“Um,” he murmured, tilting his head slightly in question, “should I have said something else?”

Oikawa laughed, the kind that was loud, hearty, and heavy, full of genuine joy. _Stupid Tobio-chan,_ he thought, as his heart fluttered in the kind of way that made you feel warm, the kind of way that you’d want to remember forever. He might have looked stupid now, might have done embarrassing things, might have overreacted in the first place, but for once, he didn’t care about any of that. 

All he cared about was them.

Their relationship, which had once seemed long dead, on its way to rot and decay, was actually going to grow. This broken thing between them was actually on its way to repair, possibly being reborn anew into something beautiful, something that was once impossible. Years and years of insults and mockery and neglect, all being buried and forgotten, replaced with the hope of _better._

He was content with the boy’s answer, however short it was, because it was a _yes._ It was _forgiveness,_ fresh and freeing in all its glory.

Turns out his Valentine’s day could still end happily, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> BONUS:  
> Kageyama: *gives Oikawa a literal olive branch*  
> Oikawa: *blushes as he accepts it* Dumb Tobio-chan~!
> 
> Anywayyyyy, thank you for reading this fic. I was supposed to post this on actual Valentine's day, but it took a while to complete, so I'm sorry it's delayed HAHA.
> 
> If you're curious, it was inspired by an Instagram poem written by L.E. Bowman. The quote from the summary came from that very poem HAHA and captures perfectly the essence of it and of this fic, in a way. I wanted to make it more "heart-warming" but it ended up going in a cheesy, fluffy direction instead. And hey, that "offer an olive branch" figure of speech helped me come up with a title.
> 
> Also, I'm actually kinda new to this fandom, so hey! Been reading stuff about this pairing for weeks (even going as far back as fics published in 2016 because this ship gives me life), but this is the first I've ever written. So if it's lowkey OOC, or if there's any inconsistencies, please tell me so when I write for them again, I can improve HAHA. Getting Oikawa OOC was actually the fear I had throughout making this fic, and is the main reason why I had avoided actually creating his "letter" for Kags, choosing to vaguely describe it instead HAHA. And the bit about college schedules is inspired by my actual college, so if it isn't how things work in Japan, I apologize.
> 
> If you have anything kind to say as well, please leave a comment! It'll really make my day :)
> 
> Also sorry for how lengthy this note is.


End file.
